1. Field of the Invention
The invention lies in the field of the ventilation for interior spaces. Its application is intended for the design of air outlets having a characteristic exhaust property which can be varied by means of pivoting vanes. These types of air outlets are especially suited for application in motor vehicles.
2. Related Art
German Published Patent Application No. 29 36 185 discloses an air outlet used to ventilate a motor vehicle, the air outlet consisting of a vertically swivelling housing with several vanes arranged in the housing. The vanes are coupled to each other and pivot together in the housing. For the most part, the surfaces of the vanes have a rectangular shape, while in cross-section, the vanes have a double-wedge form. In the closed state of the air outlet, the lateral edges of the vanes overlap each other.
In German Pat. No. 35 29 463, another air outlet of this type is described as a louver outlet or shutter nozzle, the vanes are designed and arranged in a way which allows nondirectional edge flows to be avoided. Thus, an especially good directional effect is attained. In this connection, the vanes can be aligned toward a common center, whereby a distinctly concentrated or a pronounced, divergent exhaust flow is generated.
With an air outlet disclosed in German Published Patent Application No. 24 44 116, either a concentrated or a diverging air jet can be generated. For this purpose, the exhaust port of the air outlet is subdivided by flexible air baffles in a lattice form into a greater number of air guide ducts. By convexly deforming the lattice to give the air outlet the form of a spherical segment, certain air baffles can be inclined relative to the axis of the air outlet. The result is that the exhaust directions of the air guide ducts diverge from the axis of the air outlet, so that an air jet emerges from the air outlet fanned out in different directions of flow. To adjust this air jet, the air baffles are mounted on two bowed spring wires, Which are arranged crosswise. The baffles are preferably components of a one-piece grid made of a flexible rubberlike material, through Which the bowed wires pass. The ends of the spring wires fit into sockets that are spaced apart by less than the length of the wires, thereby causing the wires to bow. When the wires bow inwardly, the grid is flat. When they bow outwardly, the grid assumes a convex spherical form.
Finally, German Pat. No. 25 25 917 and related German Published Patent Application No. 27 02 334 disclose an adjustable air outlet for ventilating or air-conditioning an individual workstation in a room. It has two discharge zones arranged concentrically to each other. Both discharge zones are subdivided into several outlet ducts, which are defined respectively by an inner and an outer wall area and by air baffles formed by blades. The blades of the outer discharge zone can be adjusted diagonally, giving the air jets a turbulent swirl effect. The inner discharge zone can be provided with a movable insert to adjust the air flow.